Superman SPOILER Review Thread (NO TAGS NECESSARY)

[MAN O STEEL]

This was to mean a joke since one of the goons say: "It will grow" or something like this if iirc. Seeing the movie 4 times in 4 days is a little bit wild, man

The movie has enough jokes and in the 4 times I've seen it no one laughed at it once. Its just a terrible cut. Needed time to breathe and build. It needed to really strongly reel in the jokes big time. Have it sparsely spread through the film. The scene of Suoerman and Lois talking needed that eyeball that lantern was fighting completely cut. It offered nothing and broke immersion of the scene. You have to let your serious moments breathe. This sort of thing is what's holding the film back from greatness. Everytime I watched the film, I felt full focus and enjoyment in the small serious moments with pa kent, with Lois, Gary(#4) etc. Those are the scenes that lend tangibility and verisimilitude to your story. Keep the jokes for small bit here and there.

 

[Karelia]

Metamorpho: Justice Gang... now that's a cool name
Guy:... You're in!

Man that still cracks me up LOL!

 

[titansupes]

That specific "It will grow" cut is the one that jumped out at me as being where a day of the week chapter heading must have been removed.

 

[psylockolussus]

7/10.

It was okay. A massive improvement from the DCEU but it didn't leave me wanting for more.

 

[P Supreme]

made superman relatable something that is hard to do
Hoult chewing up scenery
Daily Planet staff actually being useful
the justice gang were awesome
Jimmy Olsen being a ladies man was great

the Jor-El and Lara twist was jarring but it made sense to me fresh take in the cinematic superman

Loved it

 

[B]

The movie has enough jokes and in the 4 times I've seen it no one laughed at it once. Its just a terrible cut. Needed time to breathe and build. It needed to really strongly reel in the jokes big time. Have it sparsely spread through the film. The scene of Suoerman and Lois talking needed that eyeball that lantern was fighting completely cut. It offered nothing and broke immersion of the scene. You have to let your serious moments breathe. This sort of thing is what's holding the film back from greatness. Everytime I watched the film, I felt full focus and enjoyment in the small serious moments with pa kent, with Lois, Gary(#4) etc. Those are the scenes that lend tangibility and verisimilitude to your story. Keep the jokes for small bit here and there.

This was something I also meant to say in my review, the high number of ill-timed jokes, one liners & comedy bits was something I hoped Gunn would avoid bringing from the MCU which is something that's plagued a number of their films in recent years. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as the previous two Thor movies, but there were a few that I thought just ruined a few moments.

Few that stuck out like a sore thumb was as you said the Justice Gang battling something in the backround (an interdimensional imp I think he said) during Lois & Supes heart to heart with Superman nonchalantly telling Lois they have it under control, while he has a seat & a cup of coco. That gave me Superman III flashbacks when Lana tells a slowly evil turning Superman that there's been a wreck on a bridge with vehicles overhanging the edge & he calmly tells her there's no rush, he always gets there on time before encouraging Lana to 'relax' with him on the couch. Anywho that kinda spoiled that scene, which was otherwise great & as I said the ending remarks were my favourite Superman quote/moment from the film. I'd have cut that imp out completely, the rating of the cup of coco & punk rocker stuff was enough amusement & break from the seriousness of the overall discussion.

Didn't care for the 'I'm not messing around, I'm doing important stuff' line either after, for all Superman knew, he'd just killed Ultraman by sending him into the black hole. A better placement for that line would have been in the middle of the fight after he's just been smacked around for a few minutes & he's got a brief bit of respite, not at the end after he's seemingly killed him.

Krypto mauling Lex as well, by all means, have a scene were the dog does ragdoll him for a few seconds.. but not in that scene at that moment.

 

[Deck Rickard]

I took a break from the Hype for a bit because I kept getting some annoying pop-up ad that my ad blocker wasn’t taking care of. To make matters worse, I’ve been dealing with this weird vision issue that makes it difficult to read text on my phone. And then right before this movie came out I started having Man of Steel/BvS flashback panic attacks, worrying that it was going to get critically panned and bomb lol. So, I just avoided all coverage of it until the RT score hit. Obviously that all turned out fine and I’m glad that my fears were all for naught. But did I like it?

I loved it. Start to finish. The movie grabbed me from the opening crawl to the final post-credits scene. Corenswet was the Superman I’ve been waiting for since Reeve hung it up. He’s charming, charismatic, kindhearted, dorky and adorable. And Brosnahan is the BEST Lois Lane ever. While I love Margot Kidder and I have a soft spot for Amy Adams’s Lois (it’s not her fault the movies she was in sucked), Brosnahan takes the character to new heights, showcasing her journalism skills, while also displaying heroics and a tough exterior that even the Man of Steel has to work hard to get through. As someone who was championing BOTH of these actors for these roles long before they were announced, I feel pretty damned good about my casting skills hahaha. Announce Superman 2 at Comic Con, James! I need to see more of them now!

And that brings me to the man who put it all together. Gunn is as the right person for the job. While even I had my concerns about him (I’m a big Gunn fan but even I wasn’t sure initially if he was the right director for Superman), he really nailed it. He made a Superman movie that exists in a truly fantastical world but also a world that feels very much like our own in more ways than you might think. It always bothered me in comics where they would have Superman refusing to intervene when dictators were committing human rights atrocities, because why the hell wouldn’t he? Granted, as Lois astutely points out, actions have consequences, no matter how well-intentioned they might be. But still, Superman is a character that I don’t see as willing to sit something out just because it might look bad politically. And that’s why it’s good to see him (and later the Justice Gang) standing up to a dictator Putinyahu in this movie, even if the government doesn’t approve.

And of course, Lex. Hoult crushed it. Best Luthor ever, hands down. Vicious, evil, brilliant and straight-up scary. While I liked Rosenbaum and Hackman, neither of them comes close to a performance like Hoult delivers. I HATED him by the end of this movie, and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible.

Other things… loved Mr. Terrific, Hawkgirl and Gardner. Hope we get to see a lot of them in Peacemaker. And as an 80s Superfriends fan, I totally geeked out over the Hall of Justice. Jimmy was great (though I could have done without him body shaming Eve). I wish we would have gotten more from Perry White and the DP crew; hopefully that rumored Jimmy Olsen series features a lot of them. The Superman robots were cool, and Krypto made me wish I still had a dog. Adorable and lovable. Hell, give Krypto his own show too lol.

Jon and Martha Kent were awesome; I especially loved that pep talk that Jon gave to Clark. And it was a nice, subtle touch for Lois to see Clark’s humble beginnings for the first time. I’m a bit iffy on how Jor-El and Lara-Lor Van were handled; love Bradley Cooper and Angela Sarafyan but sending Kal-El to potentially conquer earth isn’t an idea I love. To be fair though, Smallville did something similar and perhaps more than any other comic book superhero, Superman on the whole has taken things from other media that featured the character (Kryptonite, for example, originated in the old radio show). So like it or not, Smallville is just as relevant as any other version. Also, John Byrne’s Krypton was a very cold and analytical society (though that lack of humanity didn’t extend to Jor-El and Lara).

Anyway, I’ll share more of my thoughts over time but all I can say is that this is the Superman movie I’ve been waiting for my whole life. Just an awesome thrill ride with a lot of heart that had me cheering, laughing and crying throughout. Up, up and away!

9.5/10

 

[Charzhin0]

5/10. Gunn is the wrong fit for Superman.

The story is messy. Why does Lex need the governments help to take down Superman when he has Ultraman/Engineer who could destroy the U.S military on their own? Why is the subplot with fake Russia necessary, when none of that really matters to what Lex is trying to achieve (he was promised half of the invaded land - so?) Why does Lex need to turn the U.S public on Superman (the fact they also instantly turn on Superman after watching that video was really jarring, like they all NPCs who had a switch flicked to ''must hate Superman now''). All this can be streamlined since the only objective Lex has is to kill Superman (which he admits at the end), so why not kill him once he's captured him in the pocket dimension.

The MCU humour is also a problem as others have mentioned. The opening scene showing the hero of the movie battered and bruised is really offputting, its subconsciously setting up the idea this hero is weak from the get go. I cant remember one supehero/action movie that opens up with the protagonist shown as beaten down and bloody.

There is also the problem of power levels. Superman seemingly is just another superhero on the block amongst many others, with similar level of powers. At the end of Justice League, Batman, WW, Flash, Cyborg, Aquaman are all struggling to defeat Steppenwolfe. In comes Superman and demolishes the villain with ease; thats showcasing a differentiation of power levels, something which Superman 2025 doesnt have.

 

[Kane52630]

I cant remember one supehero/action movie that opens up with the protagonist shown as beaten down and bloody.

Plenty.

It's literally how the first John Wick movie opens.

 

[TheGDBatman]

5/10. Gunn is the wrong fit for Superman.

The story is messy. Why does Lex need the governments help to take down Superman when he has Ultraman/Engineer who could destroy the U.S military on their own? Why is the subplot with fake Russia necessary, when none of that really matters to what Lex is trying to achieve (he was promised half of the invaded land - so?) Why does Lex need to turn the U.S public on Superman (the fact they also instantly turn on Superman after watching that video was really jarring, like they all NPCs who had a switch flicked to ''must hate Superman now''). All this can be streamlined since the only objective Lex has is to kill Superman (which he admits at the end), so why not kill him once he's captured him in the pocket dimension.

The MCU humour is also a problem as others have mentioned. The opening scene showing the hero of the movie battered and bruised is really offputting, its subconsciously setting up the idea this hero is weak from the get go. I cant remember one supehero/action movie that opens up with the protagonist shown as beaten down and bloody.

There is also the problem of power levels. Superman seemingly is just another superhero on the block amongst many others, with similar level of powers. At the end of Justice League, Batman, WW, Flash, Cyborg, Aquaman are all struggling to defeat Steppenwolfe. In comes Superman and demolishes the villain with ease; thats showcasing a differentiation of power levels, something which Superman 2025 doesnt have.

- Lex is trying to turn everyone against Superman. If he gets citizens AND the government on his side, then he can do whatever he needs to do to end Superman. Otherwise, he risks getting arrested.
- The land is a bonus to Lex. It's noted in the movie that it's a resource heavy country. Lex was supplying weapons to the other country without turning a profit. Having this country would allow him to get his investment back tenfold.
- I do agree that people turning on him was quick (I mean, not unlike real life to a certain extent since people don't like to do any research and just accept what they hear). That's where some additional screentime would have helped. Or even introducing more people who were against Superman would have helped.
- MCU humor is the most annoying criticism that I see. The MCU did not invent humor. MOVIES ARE ALLOWED TO BE FUNNY.
- So essentially, you want a Superman movie where Superman is basically invincible? Doesn't get hurt? It's stated in the opening crawl that Superman hasn't lost a fight before. Seeing him take a beating (from himself, effectively), adds stakes to the movie. If he can't get hurt or get worn down, what's the point?
- And I'd argue that Superman coming in and dusting Steppenwolf when the rest of the entire league couldn't do it undermined the power levels of those league members.

 

[Charzhin0]

- Lex is trying to turn everyone against Superman. If he gets citizens AND the government on his side, then he can do whatever he needs to do to end Superman. Otherwise, he risks getting arrested.
- The land is a bonus to Lex. It's noted in the movie that it's a resource heavy country. Lex was supplying weapons to the other country without turning a profit. Having this country would allow him to get his investment back tenfold.
- I do agree that people turning on him was quick (I mean, not unlike real life to a certain extent since people don't like to do any research and just accept what they hear). That's where some additional screentime would have helped. Or even introducing more people who were against Superman would have helped.
- MCU humor is the most annoying criticism that I see. The MCU did not invent humor. MOVIES ARE ALLOWED TO BE FUNNY.
- So essentially, you want a Superman movie where Superman is basically invincible? Doesn't get hurt? It's stated in the opening crawl that Superman hasn't lost a fight before. Seeing him take a beating (from himself, effectively), adds stakes to the movie. If he can't get hurt or get worn down, what's the point?
- And I'd argue that Superman coming in and dusting Steppenwolf when the rest of the entire league couldn't do it undermined the power levels of those league members.

Why does he care about being arrested, he has super-powered individuals that can protect him from any human threat. And the fact hes ripping Metropolis apart in broad daylight with the singularity seems like he doesnt care about getting apprehended by any government.

I got the land being filled with oil and he gets half, just the whole subplot is unnecessary when it pertains to his goal of eliminating Superman in Metropolis. It was there for a) gives something for the justice gang to do b) contemporary issue insert.

Humour is subjective. This was classic Gunn childish slapstick humour so not my taste.

Superman losing a fight for the first time written in text is the problem. We dont see how powerful he is before so cant judge relative beatdowns. Its one of the issues with starting the movie in midfight. In that scenario, Id rather have seen him be seemingly invincible until he gets to fight Ultraman for the first time and gets beatdown, so we can see the before and after, not just read about it.

Yes Superman was too OP at the end of JL, but its just an example that he was 1 level above the others. I didnt get the same feeling in this.

 

[flickchick85]

Why does he care about being arrested, he has super-powered individuals that can protect him from any human threat. And the fact hes ripping Metropolis apart in broad daylight with the singularity seems like he doesnt care about getting apprehended by any government..

Lex Luthor is a billionaire with a massive empire that he worked his whole life to build. That stuff goes away, those assets get frozen, and your reputation is gone for good if you don’t play by the laws of mankind (or at least put up appearances that you are). The man wants more than anything to be popular. He wanted to be king of a country ffs. He wants the people to love him and hate Superman. That’s like, his entire state of being. He’s not worried about “human threats.” He’s worried about being seen as the savior of mankind that he fully believes he is. You don’t get there by publicly being like “f*** the police.”

 

[mithravishnu]

5/10. Gunn is the wrong fit for Superman.

There is also the problem of power levels. Superman seemingly is just another superhero on the block amongst many others, with similar level of powers. At the end of Justice League, Batman, WW, Flash, Cyborg, Aquaman are all struggling to defeat Steppenwolfe. In comes Superman and demolishes the villain with ease; thats showcasing a differentiation of power levels, something which Superman 2025 doesnt have.

Most of the time the movie feels like another superhero movie with Superman like character except the final fight. That third act was the only time I felt "yeah... its Superman".
any way I will give 7/10.

 

[Gothamsknight]

I absolutely loved this film. Would probably give it an 8/10.

That said, I still think Gunns The Suicide Squad is his best movie.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

From Martha's actress herself:

View attachment 141407

Thanks for reminding me why the US is screwed!

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Lex Luthor is a billionaire with a massive empire that he worked his whole life to build. That stuff goes away, those assets get frozen, and your reputation is gone for good if you don’t play by the laws of mankind (or at least put up appearances that you are). The man wants more than anything to be popular. He wanted to be king of a country ffs. He wants the people to love him and hate Superman. That’s like, his entire state of being. He’s not worried about “human threats.” He’s worried about being seen as the savior of mankind that he fully believes he is. You don’t get there by publicly being like “f*** the police.”

With a small lone from his dad.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

From Martha's actress herself:

View attachment 141407

Circling back to this, because I think it's important to interrogate not only this statement, but what it says about the Kents, the Els, and the movie as a whole.

What is Clark's most defining feature in this movie? Now the words say kindness. They try to jab that into your skull. But it's not. It's his action. That he engages. He doesn't sit on the sidelines. Where does he get this from in the movie? The Els. He tells us that what motivates him to do what he does is the message he believed his parents sent with him.

We now know that the cake is a lie. So what are we left with? The Kents. Who apparently disengage, stay offline, and just hang with their farm animals. They don't sound like they show up for Pride. No civil rights marches for them. 50/50 chance they don't even vote blue. How would they even know to do so? They're disengaged. Busy living the slow, innocent life while everything is going to hell. I don't even think they call their son once he's in crisis.

So how exactly are the Kents the "good parents" here? They didn't teach their son to step up. To stand up to injustice. They don't do it themselves.

People love to clown on MoS, on Smallville. But they at least get the basic dynamics for both the Kents and the House of El.

 

[Primal Slayer]

I think they really could've and should've done better with Hawkgirl.

Are the wings magical? They just dissappear and she doesn't have any holes in the back that they could grow out of.

Does she have super strength?

Is the mace just your average mace? They should've added the electricity effect to it like dcau.

Why does she screech like a hawk? Is she alien in that way?

 

[flickchick85]

With a small lone from his dad.

In certain versions. I’m not sure they ever said in this one?

 

[DarthSkywalker]

In certain versions. I’m not sure they ever said in this one?

Just a Trump/Elon joke.

 

[Kane52630]

In certain versions. I’m not sure they ever said in this one?

With a small lone from his dad.

 

[flickchick85]

I embarrassingly did not because I was too busy thinking about Lionel Luthor.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I embarrassingly did not because I was too busy thinking about Lionel Luthor.

You have Superman on the brain? Absolutely shocking news.

 

[Tra-El]

I am honestly glad it was not people like that...The Kents shouldn't overpower Clark in the scene. The Kents should be normal looking and acting folks who you could believe would raise a dorky son.

I appreciated Pa so much. He really hit the nail on the head about parents who loves their children and taking their emotions and heart into account by not talking bad about their biological parents. He made excuses for Jor-EL and Lara by saying how the meaning of being a parent is meant to allow our kids to make mistakes and choices by themselves and how basically we don't know what we are doing with our advice. I really enjoyed that take. Responsible parenting in foster situations (or divorce type situations) is not to talk bad about the other. That just stuck out to me. Pa is wonderful.

 

[dhandler01]

I finally have a chance to collect my thoughts after watching this film on Saturday (07/12). Is this film perfect? No. Does it have some issues? Yes. Was it the film that both the character and fans needed? Absolutely.

Before I begin, I want to firmly state that I still have a special place in my heart for Brandon Routh and Henry Cavill's portrayals. That being said, I feel like David's portrayal will definitely take the character to new heights not seen since Christopher Reeve (on the big screen).

Rachel was just fantastic as Lois. I was invested in both her character and her relationship with Clark/Superman. I hope to see more of her in the coming years.

I had my doubts about Nicholas as Lex before, but he really cemented himself as my favorite cinematic version by the second act of the film. Like others have already said, I could easily see his Lex becoming the President later on.

The rest of the cast did a great job as well. I didn't really feel like anyone was miscast in their roles. My only big complaint is that we didn't get more of them. I would've appreciated 10 more minutes being added to the film's runtime.

I didn't think it was possible, but I actually got emotional watching Pa Kent's speech to Clark. It's so refreshing to see both of his Earth parents alive and well during his Superman years. Speaking of getting emotional, I really appreciated the original soundtrack created for this film. I don't know about anyone else, but the score really felt reminiscent of the classic films that I'd watch back in the 90's (in a good way).

Overall, I'd give the film an 8.5 out of 10. I wish I could enjoy the happy feeling that I had coming out of the theater this past weekend, but it was quickly interrupted when my car's engine light came up.

Happy for you buddy! (Not the car obviously)